Abstract

Support for the development of rural transport services should go in tandem with investments in rural roads.There is a need to understand what constitutes good rural transport services in order to provide effective interventions.

This report describes a small scale study of rural transport services along the Kidabaga‐Boma la Ng’ombe road in Kilolo District, Iringa Region, Tanzania. The aim was to collect data that can be used to describe the performance of rural transport services in the area. Data collected included: Existing modes of transport, costs for passenger and small freight by mode, reliability and frequency of transport services, and gender and age preferences for modes.

The study shows that conventional public transport vehicles such as buses and mini‐buses are few in the survey area. Motorcycles have become important for short and medium distance transport. They are associated with higher service frequency, better responsiveness and ability to access remote places. They are however more expensive per passenger and tonne‐km. Other notable findings are: The importance for users to have predictable services for time planning, the need to address seasonal fluctuations in services caused by impassability of roads in rainy season and the importance of transport services being able to provide mixed transport for freight and passengers is also highlighted. This is especially so because freight trucks complement buses as a means of medium and long distance passenger travel.

Recommendations are made for longer and more systematic studies on rural transport services. Such studies should be designed to encourage collaboration between rural road agencies and transport service stakeholders.